I had a delicious lunch today - Italian sausage patty, mozzarella cheese and red sauce on some good bread. This combination takes me back to my childhood. There was a place I loved to eat called Bob’s Pizzeria. The first thing I ever ate from there was a sandwich called a Little Immigrant; we would call it a sub today. Bob’s was the place where I had my first Italian Sausage Sandwich. They did it with a split link and sauce on a roll. Other things I loved at Bob’s were the sausage and mushroom pizza and the Bob’s Special which was thick homemade noodles, red sauce, ravioli and sausage.
Bob’s was around until 1997 when it was seized by the state for nonpayment of taxes. This is what happened after Bob was gone and the kids had taken over.
I still have a menu from Bob’s and occasionally I look over it after a moment of silence.
What got me on the sandwich this morning was a story in the paper (Click to Read) of an Italian restaurant, run by Italians, that was forced to change the name of their Italian Sausage Sandwich.
The restaurant opened in 1919. Since that time, they called the sandwich a Wopburger. Yes, wop is a derogatory term for Italians but this is Italians using the term because they were proud of their heritage. There was little problem with the name from 1919 to 2007.
Now with a hyper political correctness and so called ethnic sensitivity, Italians running an Italian restaurants can’t call their Italian hamburger a Wopburger. What a shame! On new menus, the name will be changed. I hope they will be able to come up with something creative.
I ate my Wopburger for lunch. I hadn’t heard that name before today but whenever I have an Italian Sausage Sandwich in the future I will always think of it.
Now to my favorite sandwich of all time – the Little Immigrant from Bob’s Pizzeria. Thankfully, I have the original recipe from Bob himself. I share it here with you:
Bob's Little Immigrant
Italian bread
10 slices Pepperoni
1 medium Onion; sliced thin
Lettuce leaves
5 slices Provolone cheese
1 large Tomato; thinly sliced
5 slices Cotti salami
5 slices Smoked ham
5 slices Mozzarella cheese
5 slices Cappacoli ham
6 tb Grated Romano cheese
1 oz Olive oil
Cut bread lengthwise. In order stack pepperoni, sliced onion, lettuce leaves followed by Provolone cheese, tomato slices, cotti salami, smoked ham, Mozzarella cheese, cappacoli ham. Then sprinkle lightly with the Romano cheese and olive oil on the top. Top with the top half of the Italian bread.
This is one of the best sandwiches ever!
Philip
